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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



SCENE IN AN ENGLISH HERRING PACKING YARD 



provide a fish diet during Lent for the 

 investing army. The French, however, 

 made a sortie and endeavored to inter- 

 cept the supply train bringing in the cov- 

 eted salted herrings. Then was fought 

 the celebrated "Battle of the Herrings." 

 The French were defeated and were 

 ready to surrender the city, but at this 

 critical point the Maid of Orleans made 

 her initial appearance on the horizon of 

 history and accomplished, as her first 

 chosen task, the raising of the siege. 



'THE FOUNDATIONS OE AMSTERDAM WERE 

 LAID ON HERRING BONES" 



The herring fishery is inextricably en- 

 twined with the history of Holland, and 

 in no other country has the herring been 

 relatively so important. The greatness 

 attained by the Dutch as a sea power sev- 

 eral centuries ago was due directly to 

 their herring fishery ; the Dutch navy, 

 for years the most formidable, was 

 manned by herring fishermen, and the 



